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About the Canadian Open Data Summit 2018

CODS18 is the latest in a long series of annual conferences held across Canada to convene and bolster the Open Data movement. Taking place this year from November 7th to 9th at the Fallsview Casino Resort and Hilton Hotel in scenic Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, CODS18 convenes upwards of 300 registrants including:

Public-sector data and policy professionals from First Nations, Municipalities, Regions, Provinces, States, as well as National and International orders of government.

Private-sector data analysts, publishers and advocates from firms large and small, technology startups to unicorns.

About Open Data

Open Data refers to the movement to have governments at all levels, as well as willing private and non-profit organizations, publish structured data sets in common, machine-readable formats at advertised locations to the utmost extent that is practical and ethical; and to allow the reuse and republishing of these data sets at will with, at most, attribution and sharealike stipulated.

Open Data can:

Help citizens hold government more accountable and accessible;

Reduce the administrative costs of routine disclosures by government;

Generate unsuspected insights for research, advocacy or entrepreneurial purposes (through analysis singly or in combination with other data, information and knowledge).

About Niagara Connects and Niagara Open Data

Niagara Connects is a Niagara-wide network of people for collaboration, planning, learning, innovation and community action toward a stronger future for Niagara. We facilitate a neutral, trusted social space where people, organizations, institutions and businesses connect through shared data and knowledge, to support focused action planning and measurement.

Guiding Principles:

Community strengths, research and evidence are linked in order to plan for a stronger Niagara

Different interests are engaged to work together mobilizing for change; and

Research and activities are guided by communities.

Niagara Open Data provides a catalogue of open data sets to the community to put data in the hands of the people. This site enables one to access and use datasets from various organizations in Niagara, including: municipalities, community groups, provincial agencies, not for profits, schools and more. It is managed by a consortium made up of people from these organizations who share a common goal of increasing openness and access to data in Niagara.

Why Attend CODS?

Data is the future.

Every human activity will generate it, and be affected by its publication and use. Whether you are an entrepreneur, activist, service provider, civil servant, student… learn about it now. Make it work for what you care about. (For starters, that means making as much of it as possible open.)

We provide the on-ramp.

Our introductory workshops will take you from an explanation of what data is, to the principles of Open Data, to the use of the tools that make data work for you. Visual, engaging, and accessible is our mantra. Fluency is our destination.

Our community is convening.

The most experienced professionals and advocates; the latest issues and opportunities; the most informed presenters; and the most vital debates are coming to CODS18. Network yourself in the movement and equip yourself for the future at this singularly potent event.

2018 Summit Agenda

Thank you to the 70 speakers who shared valuable knowledge, insights, and explored ideas with CODS18 participants!